England coach Thomas Tuchel has drawn comparisons to legendary manager Sir Alf Ramsey after prioritizing team unity over individual talent in his World Cup squad selection, according to an expert. Grant Bage, a historian and author specializing in the 1966 hero, noted that Tuchel's philosophy mirrors Ramsey's approach six decades ago.
Team-first mentality
Tuchel, who announced his shock England World Cup squad today, emphasized that "teams win championships" and that his selection was not about picking the 26 most talented players individually. "We are trying to build the best team... not to select the 26 most talented players," he said. This echoes Ramsey's own words from May 1966, according to Bage.
Bage, whose biography The Unseen Sir Alf has just been released in paperback, said: "The words that Tuchel spoke could have come straight from the mouth of Sir Alf Ramsey. They have the same philosophy – the team is everything. Nothing else matters."
Controversial omissions
Tuchel's decision to leave out big names such as Cole Palmer, Harry Maguire, and Phil Foden has sparked debate. Maguire's mother called the omission "disgusting," but Bage pointed to a conversation Ramsey once had with centre-half Jack Charlton. "Jack once asked Alf why he picked him. Ramsey replied: 'I don't pick the best players, Jack. I pick the best team for my plan to win the World Cup,'" Bage recalled.
Similarly, Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat-trick in the 1966 final after Ramsey chose him over Jimmy Greaves, told Bage that Ramsey probed "not so much my skills as trying to find out what sort of person or character I was." Ramsey also described selection as picking "people who will not let me down on the day."
Building a balanced squad
Tuchel explained that his selection was about more than individual talent. He wanted players who understood their role "off the pitch" as well as on it, insisting they should all be "unselfish." He said: "From day one, we are trying to select and build the best possible team. Which is not necessarily to select the 26 most talented players. Teams win championships."
When asked about leaving talented players behind, Tuchel said: "No, I don't fear because I am very confident in the group that we chose. Very difficult decisions, painful conversations. What we're trying to achieve as a team, we try to nominate a balanced squad."
World Cup journey begins
Tuchel had the task of whittling down a 55-man squad to 26 for the tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, which begins on June 11. England's first match is against Croatia on June 17 in Arlington, Texas, followed by Ghana in Boston on June 23 and Panama in New Jersey on June 27.
This is the first tournament for Tuchel, who replaced Gareth Southgate in 2024. He acknowledged the difficulty of leaving out extraordinary talents: "If everyone is selected, it was a given that from these 55 players, we have to leave some extraordinary talents, some extraordinary personalities at home."
Newcastle United defender Dan Burn summed up the mood of those included: "I'm buzzing. I've known for a couple of days and I've not been able to say anything to anyone."
Bage concluded: "Tuchel is channeling everything Alf taught us back in 1966 – especially about how England might win things. It's a very exciting first step and now the journey begins."
